A strong earthquake across Central and South Asia killed at least 50 people, a UN official said today.

Another 100 people were also reported missing in Samangan province, according to Khaled Mansorr of the World Food Programme, quoting the office of the provincial governor.

The earthquake, which measured 7.2, struck last night in the Hindu Kush mountains north of Kabul and was felt in five countries.

The Samangan governor's office reported the casualties in two villages in Takhdi-Rustum district, Mansour said.

He said the report had not been confirmed by the United Nations but UN authorities were trying to send helicopters to the remote area to verify it.

At least one other person was reported killed in Kabul, officials said.

About a dozen injuries were reported in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The earthquake was felt in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

Earthquakes and seismic activity are common in the region and particularly in the Hindu Kush mountains, although they are not normally felt over such a wide area. A 6.9-magnitude quake based in the same region on May 30, 1998, killed more than 5,000 people.